BRAIN-MIND LESSONS

BRAIN-MIND LESSONS

 Alen J Salerian MD

                              

 

"Brain-MIND Lessons" explores brain function and offers a brain map of human emotions and behavior.

1. Ground-breaking Brain-Mind discoveries.

2. Good news about Brain aging.

3. Good news about depression.

4. How to be nice to your Brain.

5. Good news about addictions.

6. Brain map of emotional problems.

                                                    

Alen J Salerian MD

A former Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the George Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Salerian practiced psychiatry in Washington, DC for over forty years, served as the Chief Psychiatric Consultant to the FBI, and has authored numerous scholarly articles and books, including The Brain: A Beautiful Journey, Viagra for your Brain, and JFK: A Magnificent Journey.

Who may benefit from Brain-Mind lessons?

Anyone interested in understanding human emotions, behavior and combating brain aging, depression or addictions.

Cost?

Each interactive Skype or Zoom session is $100.

Payments are made through PayPal or by personal checks to:

Alen J Salerian, MD

1410 Annunciation Rd, Apartment 4107, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130

How to schedule?

By phone: 504-544-1847

By email: alensalerian@gmail.com

 

Lesson 1

Ground-Breaking Brain-Mind Discoveries

1. Mental function (emotions and behavior) is governed by prefrontal cortex.
2. Specific brain regions perform specific jobs under the predominant influence of prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal cortex (intelligence), subcortex (automatic repetitive behavior) and limbic brain (okay emotions and pain) represent the three key regions.
3. Brain-mind function is plastic at all ages, increases by action and decreases by stress, pain or lack of sensory input.
4. Brain chemicals - dopamine, endorphins (natural opiates) - are crucial for mental function.
5. Low body temperature and high DHEA prolong life and delay brain aging.
6. 99% of Alzheimer’s are not genetic and preventable by addressing the underlying causes, i.e., diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, trauma, pain, etc.

Lesson 2

Good News about Brain Aging:

Why does brain age?

 

The same reason buildings and bridges age: oxidation.  

 

Free radicals and oxidation cause cellular degeneration:

1. Head trauma
2. Chronic pain
3. Snoring-sleep apnea
4. Diabetes
5. Lack of physical fitness
6. Lack of intellectual fitness
7. High blood pressure
8. High cholesterol
9. Body temperature above 36.5ºC
10. Worry
11. Depression
12. Bad genes
13. Inflammation
14. Low Ph-high acidity

Lesson 3

Good News about Depression

1. Depression corresponds to less than perfect prefrontal cortex dopamine function.
2. Most severe types of depression that are associated with suicide show depletion of natural endorphins (opiates) that cause prefrontal cortex dopamine depletion.
3. Various opiates, such as ketamine, buprenorphine and morphine-like products, have been effective in treating treatment-refractory depression.
4. Traditional antidepressants increase serotonin in limbic brain and increase prefrontal cortex dopamine by reducing stress.
5. Light treatment, trans magnetic stimulation and behavioral treatments increase prefrontal cortex function and improve mood.

Lesson 4

How to be Nice to Your Brain

People, Salerian AJ, oil pastel

1. Maintain ideal fitness: ideal body temperature= 36.5°C; ideal heart rate = 55/m; ideal blood pH = 7.4 (alkaline).
2. Maintain healthy benchmarks: blood pressure below 135/85, cholesterol 180, normal C reactive protein and homocysteine.
3. Effectively treat pain, anxiety, insomnia.
4. Never retire mentally. Actively use the brain until the last second (reading, writing, crossword puzzles, chess, mathematics, new languages, learning how to play new instruments).
5. Avoid sports with exposure to head injury, such as boxing, rugby, American football and soccer.
6. Alkaline diet.
7. Intellectual fitness: use your brain. Plan, prepare and organize; keep a diary and a schedule; manage your time to avoid procrastination and information overload.
8. Brain¹²⁰ (a science based mixture of daily essentials to promote longevity in combination with physical fitness and reduced caloric intake and Mediterranean diet).

 

Lesson 5

Good News about Addictions

Unique problems - common pathways

1. All addictions are complications of untreated Brain-Mind disorders.
2. Bipolar disorder, depression, shyness, anxiety, ADD, OCD are often crucial Brain-Mind disorders contributing to addictive behavior.
3. Every substance addiction is unique and requires targeted treatment for an addictive substance or act. Thus, individualized medical strategies are of essence.
4. Total abstinence from an addictive substance maybe appropriate for some, only after failed individualized treatments based upon medical diagnosis and nature of substance.
5. Individualized treatments are more effective than group AA-NA based strategies and abstinence.

Lesson 6

Brain Map of Emotional Problems 

1. Abnormal prefrontal cortex, subcortex and limbic brain (Amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus) functions, and abnormal production of serotonin, GABA, dopamine and endorphins are the predominant causes of emotional problems.
2. Too little dopamine in the prefrontal cortex or too much dopamine in the subcortex and limbic brain cause the most common psychiatric disorders, including psychosis, depression, addiction and anxiety.
3. Bad mothers and traumatic childhoods are not the predominant cause of emotional problems.
4. The common goal of all psychiatric treatments is to normalize brain dopamine function through intelligent problem solving and/or biological methods.

Brain Map of Psychiatric Disorders